


We Shalt Begin Again

by MeeemWho



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Azure Moon Spoilers, Body Horror, M/M, Verdant Wind Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2019-10-09
Packaged: 2020-11-22 07:23:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20870411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeeemWho/pseuds/MeeemWho
Summary: In which Claude finds something rotting within the Goddess Tower.Werelion!Dimitri AU, Happy Halloween! Title inspired by Pyre by Son Lux.





	1. Dawn

**Author's Note:**

> "Meeem finish ur other works"
> 
> Okay yes but its /halloween/ and i had a craving so who knows how long this stupid fic will go

"Way to keep up with housekeeping Seteth." Claude mumbled as he stepped over yet another pile of rubble.

Garreg Mach had really fallen to shit. The gates had been broken off their hinges for years now. Claude had been able to waltz into the entrance hall, leaving his wyvern tucked away in the former stables. The only light source he had was a torch he had the foresight to pack.

Not a single trace of anyone else this morning. It was still dark, with the sky just barely turning lighter as he landed. He expected Lorenz to be here at least, what with his constant need to one up him. Either him or, well, Teach.

The only sign of life he saw was the body strewn across a table.

The fresh body.

Immediately Claude tensed, hand reaching back to unclasp Failnaught from it's strap. The blood was dry, but the body had no smell to it. The only thing reaching his senses was the iron of blood and steel.

Looking closer now, eyes adjusting to the dark of the hall, he could see it was garbed in Imperial reds. The metal of his helmet seemed to have been crushed along with his head. There were no other visible wounds, a quick death. Or at least, he hoped it was.

He looked at the blood trail, it seemed as if the body had been dragged and placed there. A warning?

He threw his cape over his pauldron and followed it. He didn't hear the sounds of battle from anywhere, but he couldn't leave everyone open to attack from an unknown force.

There was more drying blood. Heading towards the cathedral. Thankfully the bridge hadn't been hit much, allowing Claude to blow out his torch as he followed the familiar path outside.

While the cathedral itself seemed to be missing quite a few pieces of the roof, it didn't seem to be bloodied by battle. Hell, he could even say it was still beautiful with the night sky visible from the gaping hole in the roof. He didn't get to enjoy it, however. The trail of blood veered left, towards the tower that taunted him so much during his days at the academy.

But now, there wasn't a single guard or monk to chastise him for sneaking around before daybreak. The only thing keeping him quiet and scared was the thought of who or what exactly could be up there.

Things only got worse as he stepped out of the dim light and into the shadow of the tower. The first body lay splayed against the doorframe, chestplate beaten inwards.

The second lay on the first step, arms still splayed above its head in a show of surrender.

The third and fourth were on the stairs, leaving Claude to gingerly step over them, gripping even tighter around his bow.

The fifth and sixth were on the last steps, weapons thrown down the stairs and torsos separated and thrown across and into the middle of the once holy goddess tower.

He could see the blood, even fresher, on the ground before him.

There was movement on his right.

A single eye gazed out from the darkness.

Before Claude could react, the animal roared and leaped forward into the light. He only got a glimpse of matted gold fur before he was tackled onto the ground, Failnaught clattering out of his hands and onto the floor.

Survival instincts kicked in and Claude kicked out with his legs to shuffle back from the beast. He barely managed to avoid having his arm bitten off as it sunk its teeth into the heavy fabric of his shirt. Gods, the thing was massive, its head twice as big as his own as he tried to slip out the knife in his belt. He couldn't stop the beast from scrabbling forwards, however - claws found their way into his legs and that eye narrowed and showed a surprisingly large amount of white around its pupil. And, like any person who sees an opportunity, Claude took a wild gamble.

He hacked up a disgusting amount of spit and blew it into the eye of the beast.

With another roar it detached itself, giving Claude the opportunity to take out his knife and give the beast a slice into its nose. It flinched even more and Claude scrambled backwards.

And just as suddenly as it began to attack, the beast stopped as the dawn's sunlight filtered into the tower. For a moment, he could see the entirety of the beast. It had to be at least seven feet tall, lean and menacing in stature. Its face resembled that of a lion, except with oddly human eyes. Its mane was white and black and it had some golden hair hanging over its face. But it wasn't the animalistic traits that surprised Claude.

No, it was the fact that it was not only wearing an eyepatch, but also a cape, and deep black armor.

And before he could question it, the beast suddenly doubled over onto its hands and knees. There was a sickening sound of flesh changing and melding as he watched it shrink down and down. The mane faded into a mess of blonde, and the nose with its bloody wound shriveled down into pale flesh. It roared, and even the roar slowly turned into a scream. Its armor conformed to its body as it finally reached a stopping point.

And then, laying before him, was a man.

"...Dimitri?"

He saw the beast's- no, he saw Dimitri's eye peek out from under a mop of unkempt hair. His face was still stained with blood from Claude's attack. He was breathing heavily, strained from shifting.

"So, you have decided to align with the Empire as well, Claude?"

"The Empire? No no, look." Claude raised his hands in a show of defeat. "I'm just here in this tower for my own business. A celebration, in fact. None other than the Millennium Festival."

"So you just so happened to be traveling with those soldiers then?"

Claude glanced behind him. "Those guys? They were there when I got here. I think you may have gotten acquaintanced long before I could."

He looked down at Dimitri's hands.

They had long claws and were covered with a heavy layer of fur.

"That's why you always kept those gauntlets on, huh."

Claude looked over his body. His black armor seemed to move seamlessly when he shifted. Where could he have gotten something like-

Dimitri lunged forward and grasped Claude's throat. He pushed him backwards with an unearthly strength until his back hit the wall. Claude was left to gasp for air and claw fruitlessly against the hand holding him off the ground. Dimitri's inhuman claws were digging into the nape of his neck.

Shit.

"Tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now." Dimitri all but growled.

"Well, first off, I'm kind of the leader of the Alliance now, if you haven't heard." Claude was relying on his arm strength now, pulling himself up so he wouldn't be hanging by his neck. "That's sure to cause more commotion for you than you'd like. Second, I'm smart enough to know that I can't use this as leverage against you. What can I gain from someone who's supposed to be dead?"

He let the silence hang between them, and there, like a miracle, was the familiar sound of a certain pair of heels clicking against cobblestone.

"Third, I don't think she would appreciate it too much if you killed her favorite student before their reunion."

"Who-?"

There, rising from the staircase, was a soul he long thought dead.

"Hey Teach, it's pretty rude to keep us waiting like this, don't you think?"


	2. Prologue - Teatime Joy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi-ya suprise flashback oho

Dimitri always had those gauntlets on.

Claude only noticed it when the professor finally asked the two of them to join them at dinner. The prince had only stripped off the hard metal plating and left his gloves on while he chowed down. Claude was fairly certain Byleth didn't even notice. Or, she just didn't care.

It was strange, but Claude was certain he knew the answer to his behavior, given his backstory. It also explained why nobody else seemed to want to touch the subject.

So of course he had to invite Dimitri to a private tea time for the explicit reason of getting those gauntlets off.

And yes, the implications of that thought made him blush.

But that wasn't the point! The point was trying to get the princeling to relax for once. Especially given the rumors he heard about Remire. Maybe the prince needed to have someone around who wouldn't be judgemental to finally take those unwieldy things off.

So they sat in Dimitri's room, which was strangely barren of any decoration or extra items. The only thing in the room to decorate it (besides Claude's personal tea set) was a vase with a carnation from the professor.

They talked about everything and yet nothing. How their classes were. The professor. Wyverns. General, surface level things.

So when the conversation stalled after Claude talked about bow skills, he went for the kill.

"Hey. You know, we all have our scars." Claude began.

"What on earth are you talking about Claude?" Dimitri asked in return. He lowered the cooling teacup into his other gloved hand.

"Oh come on, don't be ashamed of them." Claude continued. He leaned back in his chair, tilting on its hind legs. "I know why you never take those gauntlets off, you know?"

"Claude if you're-"

"Listen, I just don't like seeing you struggling with forks during dinner. Nobody is going to judge you, Dimitri."

"It's not-"

"Okay okay, how about, if you show me your scars I'll show you mine? I've got two big ones on my chest and-"

"Enough!" Dimitri almost shouted, interrupting Claude's thoughts. "Let's just both acknowledge that I have my reasons to keep these on and I'm not just going to take them off for you."

They sat in silence until Claude left. The only sound was the crack of china when Dimitri set down the broken handle of his cup.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick thank you to everyone who's leaving likes and comments! I 100% appreciate and see all of them so tysm!!! orz


	3. Morning - 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this one's kind of weak but i needed a transition before the next chapter

Claude watched Dimitri from above as he tore through the thieves surrounding the monastery. Where Claude had taken down one man with a well aimed arrow, Dimitri had crushed three. Byleth, somehow, was able to stay close enough to him to heal him as needed and provide magical backup.

Not that he needed it with that nasty javelin of his.

He had another moment where his heart soared when his former classmates began showing up again. Each of them had grown and changed in looks and personality. He couldn't even tease Lysethia anymore about being a child.

After it was all said and done, they all froze at the sight of Dimitri holding the lifeless body of the thief leader by it’s crushed skull.

“It’s over, Dimitri. They’re all gone now.” Claude said, dismounting from his wyvern to meet everyone.

There was a tense moment where everyone glanced from leader to leader, the only sounds around them was the sound of Dimitri finally letting go of the body. His hands were practically caked in blood.

“Well, I want to thank everyone for making it here today.” Claude stepped out into the middle of the plaza. Everyone gingerly followed, taking care to stay outside of Dimitri’s reach as they passed him.

“As you can see,” he continued, “we have our long lost teach with us again. And with her, another long lost face, Prince Dimitri.”

“Dimitri?” Hilda gasped, covering her mouth. The rest of the deer seemed to be in a mixed state of confusion and relief.

Said prince only turned to walk away, heading towards the monastery again.

Lysethia sighed. “I was really excited to see everyone again, and then this happens…”

“I think we’re all tired and confused right now, Lysethia.” Leonie spoke, stretching her shoulder. “But I guess we’re all happy to see you again, professor.”

Byleth nodded, but her face was strung with worry. She looked off towards where Dimitri had walked away.

“Here.” Claude interrupted her thoughts. “Let’s all group up at the monastery, so we can all put our stuff down and our mounts away. I will see you in the main hall within the hour.”

Claude took the opportunity to mount his wyvern and fly off, leaving the rest of his classmates to crowd around Teach again.

Good. This would give him some time to organize his thoughts, go through plans.

With Teach alive, he could now firmly gain the support of those who rely so heavily on the church for motivation. Since she was tasked with the church’s leadership before Rhea went missing, it was only logical that the knights would join their ranks if she agreed to help him. His classmates would be incredibly talented leaders in their own rights, rallying those of their houses and territories towards a common goal.

That only left Dimitri. The outlier he did not account for in any of his dreams or schemes since he allegedly died five years ago.

The Dimitri that didn’t seem to have any sort of humanity left in him. The Dimitri that turned into a raging beast at night and sat talking to ghosts during the day.

He landed with his wyvern in the stables again, but this time headed to the gates to intercept Dimitri before he could disappear again.

But instead, waiting there for him was a gentleman he had only seen a handful of times during his time at the academy.

“Gilbert? What an unexpected surprise.” Claude strode up and held his hand out. Gilbert took it and shook it briefly.

“Claude.” Gilbert spoke, his voice was worn thinner than before and his eyes looked tired from lack of sleep. “What brings you to the monestary?”

“Oh, just a little class reunion. We all agreed to meet up again for the millenium festival and most of them actually showed up. They’re on their way from the town as we speak.” Claude stepped beside him, looking out to the town below. “And what brings you here?”

Gilbert’s face turned serious. “I’ve heard a few rumors. If my assumptions are correct, Prince Dimitri should be somewhere around here.”

“Ah the royal princling?” Claude nodded. “I had the pleasure of coming face to face with him not too long ago.” Gilbert looked at him, shocked.

And lo and behold, the prince turned a corner and Gilbert blanched.

“Your Highness!” Gilbert strode out to meet him halfway, bowing deeply as Dimitri stopped before him. “I have been following news of your whereabouts for a while now. I am relieved to have finally found you.”

Dimitri did not meet his eyes when he stood up again. He turned his eyes downwards, hand gripping tighter around his lance.

“Do not call me that.” He growled. “I am not a prince, but a walking corpse.”

“And yet, here you stand before me, alive and well, Your Highness. Somehow you escaped from that prison how-”

“Dedue.” Dimitri interrupted him. “He died in my place in Fhirdiad.”

“I see…” Gilbert nodded solemnly, placing a hand over his heart. “We will be sure to honor his loyalty. The Kingdom, however, is still in shambles. We need you, the legitimate heir, to return to the Kingdom and lead it to victory.”

“Then you do see the atrocities committed by the Empire? If they are truely willing to fight for me they will not stop until every single ember of that woman’s power has been snuffed out.”

Gilbert sighed, and Dimitri took the moment to brush past him and exit further into the monastery. He didn’t even acknowledge Claude as he passed, leaving him and Gilbert alone.

“Claude.” Gilbert turned towards him, eyes barren of emotion. “There is much we need to discuss, let us meet privately when everything has calmed down with your classmates.”

“Ah, do you mind if I invite one more?” Claude asked. “See, a certain professor has appeared with Dimitri, and she may be of use to our cause.”

“Do you mean, Professor Byleth?” Gilbert seemed truely shocked at that. “She’s alive?”

“A miracle, right?” Claude chukled. “Looks like she’s got plenty of tricks up her sleeve now. Once the news spreads about her returning to the monastery, I’m sure the Knights of Serios will rush back to see her again. In fact, I’m sure the same would happen with the Kingdom’s remaining lords as well. Dimitri had classmates from the Gautier and Fraldarious houses, correct?”

“Sylvain and Felix, yes.” Gilbert nodded. “I’m sure they would at least want to see Dimitri with their own eyes. It would surely strike up hope within the people to know their true king is alive and well. But Claude… surely you realize what this would look like to your own people? The leader of the Alliance helping the heir to Fhargeus does not seem like a very neutral thing to do.”

“Gilbert.” Claude began. “Where we are standing now is the beginning of a new dawn, don’t you see? The cause of turmoil within the Alliance is the Empire, hence, I’ve been planning to make my own move against them for a while now. This is just the push I needed. As for having Dimitri here, well, if rumors were to spread throughout the Alliance that the prince was here in our ranks, that would only help my side of things even more.”

“It’s going to be okay.” Claude stated, taking a deep breath. The sounds of this classmate’s chattering was growing ever closer from the town.

It’s going to be okay.


	4. Morning - 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Suprise! Double dialogue heavy mini chapter updates!

Claude entered the cathedral again, this time taking a full moment to appreciate the eerie beauty of the broken structure.

Pieces of statues and stained glass littered the floor. Pieces of gold and silver shimmering in the light passing through the still present hole in the ceiling. There was a slight breeze entering through the broken doors on the eastern side of the building. Pews had been pushed and toppled over everywhere and lamps crushed and broken within them. The only thing that stood out from the rubble was the man in a cape of blue before him.

“So, Dimitri.” Claude didn’t care much for how his voice echoed in the cathedral. “What are your plans now?”

“I will gather my troops and march into Embarr. I will not rest until I rip her head off her body."

"Yeesh, blood and violence huh." Claude practically tiptoed to his side, taking care to stay out of range of the lance he was holding. "I just got out of a meeting with Gilbert and Teach. We're sending messages out that she is alive and well, and so are you."

Dimitri didn't move. Claude wanted to cut the tension so badly.

"Your friends will be arriving. We have plans to meet them in Ailel."

Still silence.

"And the Empire?" Dimitri finally asked.

"As soon as we get our forces together, we can begin moving. I want to get rid of them too, and her catastrophic ideals. But, Gilbert did bring up a very good idea." Claude brought his hand to his chin. "We may be better suited in taking back Ferdiad first. The Kingdom is practically nonexistent, and taking back the capital is the first step to fixing things there, you know. I thought I should at least get your opinion on that."

"Claude?"

"Yes, your princliness?"

He could hear Dimitri growl at the name. "The only reason I'm still here and not marching to the capital is because I can not get there alone. When Myrddin bridge falls, I will march directly there and kill her myself."

Dimitri turned towards him then. Claude could see now how the battle had left the entire side of his face bloodied. Blood caked across his cheek and stuck pieces of hair down to his skin.

"Dimitri… please. I need you to remember that you're supposed to be a leader." Claude was close to pleading. Somehow, he hadn't realized until now how crazed Dimitri truely was. "I cant lead those from the Kingdom on my own, and I don't want you to be another soldier. Just please-"

"I've said my peice Claude!" Dimitri whirled towards him, lance raised and prepared to strike. Claude saw his claws poking out through his gauntlets now. Even the thick leather unable to hinder them.

"You will take me to Imperial territory and you will either march with me to Enbarr, or stay behind like a coward. If you had an ounce of pity for the people she killed perhaps you would have made your move sooner."

Claude backed up, hands raised and mouth shut. He didn't start walking away until Dimitri's breathing slowed and he put down his lance again.

As he left, he could hear the man whispering things to an empty space.


	5. Reminiscence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *stops typing*
> 
> am i writing a werewolf fic or a political drama

It was only through Hilda's personal help that he could deal with adding six people who knew Dimitri extremely well into their ranks.

"At least Felix has the right idea." He sighed, settling lower into his chair. "He just stays away from him altogether."

Claude was only partially glad that Gilbert had gotten word out to the former blue lions that Dimitri was alive.

For one, they now had an informal alliance between the Kingdom and Alliance. After the news spread through their little group they all quickly joined the forces at the monastery. They needed one good battle and Claude could convince at least half of the Imperial-sided lords to aid in house Reigan's plots.

But on the other hand, their insistence to talk to Dimitri was beginning to wear him thin. It wore him thinly enough to take a night off to spend with his old friend.

"Claude, they all thought he was dead for years. Of course they would want to try and talk to him." Hilda's teaspoon _clinked_ against the sides of her mug. It was certainly too late in the day for tea but perfect for the blend of cold tea and hard liquor. The only sign of how strong it was came when she held her breath a bit longer than usual before sipping it.

"After all." She continued, sitting next to him at the table. "It sure didn't stop you for that first month."

Claude rolled his eyes. "That was only for a couple of weeks. I wanted to see if maybe me or Teach could crack that shell of his and get him to cooperate."

"Mhmm, and that's why you kept blushing when he growled at you."

Claude straightened up, stiffening as he pointed at Hilda. 

"Hilda. It's not that."

"HA! So it _was_ Dimitri after all!" She giggled and took another sip of her drink. "And this whole time I thought it was Lorenz or something."

Hilda tipped the mug in Claude's direction. He shoved it away and instead stood up to grab the bottle on his shelf.

"That was before the war, Hilda. A simpler time where I could daydream about courting him and balancing out the political issues of a marriage between the grand duke and a king."

"So you don't anymore? Or are you just trying to confuse me again." Hilda pouted. "I'm drunk, Claude. I can't understand your big brain."

"I'm only telling you this now because I know it can't happen. I'm over all of that." Claude almost took a sip before noticing the label."oh wait nope, no no no not that one." He pushed it aside to grab another clear bottle with a heavy, brown liquid. "You didn't just grab a bottle from here, right?"

"Of course not, you always warned me about your poisons and what not. This is from my own stache."

"You brought your alcohol here? What, did your brother send you some when he heard the big news?"

"Yes, actually. He's so nice to me, unlike someone else." She gave Claude a pointed glare.

"Hey I'm just trying to get you to help out a bit more around here. Even teach wants you to help with rubble."

"Ugh. Why can't we go back to weed picking again. At least I could get some nice flowers."

Claude chuckled, leaning onto the shelf and closing his eyes. It had been so long since he could do that in genuine safety. He never considered Deidru to be safe, despite living there for seven years.

"Close your eyes, doesn't it feel like we're just students again?"

He didn't see her, but he heard her sigh fondly.

"A simpler time. When we would get drunk on secret bottles of rum and do things on my bed. Very unnoble things."

"And yet, I still hate boobs. All except for yours, of course." Claude smirked as he watched Hilda bush.

"Are you trying to get into my bed again? We never got to spend time together in Deidru but the offer still stands as always." Hilda winked as best as she could.

"No, you're drunk, Hilda." He leaned forward and booped her nose at her name.

Hilda giggled. "Okay, then at least stay with me until I fall asleep. I miss your voice sometimes."

So Claude stayed, taking sips of liquor as he listened to her ramble on about the usual gossip. Once the night grew old and her laughter turned into yawning, he escorted her properly to her room. After making sure she was sound asleep on her side, he quietly closed the door and headed outside.

He climbed to the roof of the dormitory building, bottle still in hand. He popped open the cork and let that drunk dizziness take over his body.

He looked up at the stars and imagined someone else lying beside him. He imagined a heavy hand carding through his hair as he pointed out constellations only he knew of. He brought his fingers to his lips as he imagined his partner leaning over him and kissing him tenderly.

And in his vision, a pair of eyes as blue as the midday sky gazed lovingly down at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hilda: uh oh sisters!


	6. Fog

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapt occurs after Aleil still but right before they go to the bridge if you're wondering.

It was only supposed to be a simple capture and defeat mission.

Go into Edmund territory. Kill the demonic beast lurking there. And then go home with their land safe.

What it ended up being was a mess of frantic yells as dozens of giant beasts descended upon them in the thickest fog in Fodlan. It certainly was not supposed to be Byleth sprinting away into the woods while Claude desperately tried to piece out where everyone else was.

A clash of metal. A flare of fire magic. A beastly howl.

If it wasn't for the flashing of relics every three seconds Claude wouldn't even remember who had joined them.

If he counted the yells correctly there were three fighting on his east side, four in the north, none in the south, and one lone fighter to the west.

So, of course, when he heard a lone Dimitri's shouts of effort from the west he dismounted his wyvern to slip in between the dense treeline.

The first thing he noticed was the two giant wolves growling and gnashing their teeth. One was maybe barely limping while the other was in perfect health. They both lunged at the same time to attack the being in front of them.

And Dimitri responded in kind with a growl of his own and a steel lance tossed with the ease of a javelin through the eye of the wounded one.

Claude reacted and fired and arrow towards the face of the other wolf. It shot slightly right and merely glanced off it's cheek, but that was all it needed to become unnerved and jolt away for just a second. Dimitri needed that moment to grab his true javelin and spin it to attack the wolf as well.

Claude sent out another arrow towards the wolf, striking it at its elbow as Dimitri went for its leg. His javelin pierced through muscle and tendons of its right paw and it let out a pained yelp. As it went to bite Dimitri Claude dove forwards and pulled out his longsword. He whipped just to its left and sliced at the other paw. It nicked it but still gave it enough of a distraction to miss Dimitri altogether.

And with a yell, Dimitri leaped upwards into the sky and brought his javelin straight through the top of its skull. He held on tightly as it thrased and before going still and collapsing onto the forest floor. It didn't even let out a single yelp before its breathing stopped.

As Dimitri caught his breath Claude listened again for movement. There were no more monsters in this area and the fighting seemed to have moved deeper into the forest behind them.

"Come on, Dimitri. We have to get to the other-"

And then he finally saw him.

A terrible, horrific shift between man and monster. His face contorted in a half muzzle with teeth jutting out from his lips. His legs painfully incorrect as they melded somewhere between a human and a beast. One of his gauntlets had slipped during the battle, exposing a life of almost white fur that jutted out from his black armor.

There was something in the air. Something that made Claude's hair stand on edge and sent chills down his spine.

"Dimitri. This place isn't safe for you we need to get out of here, now."

"There are still monsters here, Claude." Dimitri let out a sickening laugh that grated through his twisted teeth and echoed in his growing mouth. "Monsters that must be cleaned out like rats in a stable."

"You have to think, Dimitri." Claude tightened his grip around his sword as Dimitri pulled his javelin out of the wolf's head, leaving a gaping hole between its ears. "You can't let everyone see you like this now."

"And why not, Claude?" Dimitri started to move towards him, javelin still caked with gore. "Why not let them know exactly what kind of beast they're following?"

"Dimitri you're not in a sane state of mind. You need to leave or else-"

"Or else what?" Dimitri bent over in a twisted chuckle that sent nerves down to where Claude now gripped his sword. "Are you afraid I'll be one of the beasts that the townsfolk called you here to destroy?"

Claude tensed as he watched Dimitri raise his arm, claws glinting from between the leather onf his gauntlet. His morphing eye glazed over with some sort of force neither of them understood. He braced for impact, only for the tensions to snap as a bellow sounded from deeper inside the forest.

And like that, Dimitri stumbled and nearly collapsed. The only thing saving him was Claude's quick reflexes.

In his arms he could feel how his muscles still moved from his shift. A gross sensation like worms were crawling through the muscles on his arm.

"I'm not… I need to…" Dimitri let out a little whine as Claude slowly lowered him to the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Random updates, random updates, whatever could it mean?
> 
> It symbolizes my struggle in trying to pace out the big emotional beats I've already written with things that still advance the plot a bit


End file.
